Indeed, he spent the greater part of his life doing nothing else.

Exquisite gentleness and sympathy was his method.

There were such heaps of rough, rude brutes about that one would always have a chance by being the contrast; and husbands, he reasoned, were nearly always brutes--after a while--in the opinion of their wives! He had hardly ever known this plan to fail with the most devoted wife.

So although Lady Tancred had only been married a week he hoped to render her not quite indifferent to himself in some way.

He had seen at once that she and Tristram were not on terms of passionate love, and there was something so piquant about flirting with a bride! He divided women as a band into about four divisions.